Archive for the ‘Outer Banks’ Category

Ocean Boulevard

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
ocean-boulevard

Ocean Boulevard still kicks ass, much to my delight. It’s jumped straight to the top of my list of favorites over the past couple years. The also bill themselves as a Martini bar, so a good 1/2 of the drinks page is martinis and other various ways to fill a martini glass with pure alcohol.

They have a drink called the South Beach. Stoli Oranj, Absolut Citron and a splash of something. (Air, I suspect.) Sublime, thought it should be called the “smack you on the ass” martini.

Shrimp and heirloom grits for my app, and I would not share. (Thought I do have to think that heirloom grist are simply a box of grits found in the back of the pantry that don’t have any weevils in them.) Shrimp was marinated and grilled, and the grits were done perfectly. And it’s an appetizer that is actually appetizer sized so you’re not going to ruin your meal.

My brother, the more generous of us, got the jerk beef tips app and actually shared with everyone. Those were great, too, and again a small serving that is actually appetizer sized.

I went for the special – seared Mahi-Mahi (always good) over a grits cake (sold) with succotash and bacon. (SOLD!) And some more shrimp thrown in for good measure. And the bonus: teeny tiny baby lima beans in the succotash that were soooooooooo good. (I know it’s a love/hate bean. I love them.)

Lisa and I were also apparently in an eating competition – except that no one told us it was a contest until the end of the meal. (For the record, I won. It seems it became a contest when we both ordered the special.)

From what I understand the crabcakes and steak that others got were quite good as well.

The only downside was that everyone was too full for dessert martinis at the end of the night.

Definitely on the “must go again next year” list.

MP 2.5 on the Beach Road. Make reservations!!

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Port O’ Call and Meridian 42

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
port-o-call-and-meridian-42

Port O’ Call is still one of my favorites. I don’t think the menu has changed in forever, but everything is great anyway. They also have a kickass gift shop filled with tons of shiny things and vintage jewelry, and who doesn’t love that? This is one of those places where I don’t think I’ve had the same thing twice, but I can’t be sure because all I can really remember from year to year is that it’s all good and whatever I get, I know I’ll like it.

Started off with the Oysters Rockefeller, which they apparently make a little differently from the standard, as it has spinach in it. (That was part of the reason I ordered it – one year I overheard a woman giving the waiter holy hell over the fact that OR is not supposed to have spinach in it. Though it’s quite clearly noted on the menu.) Well, I liked them and would get them again, so I can only assume this woman simply doesn’t like anything that doesn’t conform to her ideal of normal.

Then I moved on to the seafood carbonara. Shrimp and scallops and pasta and bacon. You can’t go wrong there.

Sadly, I made no note of what anyone else ordered but we all were quite satisfied by the end of the night.

They also have a very cool bar, if you’re just looking for a nightcap, it’s definitely worth popping in.

MP 8.5 on the Beach Road. Reservations accepted. Probably not needed but we always get them anyway.

Meridian 42

A bit of a bust. They did in fact change ownership last year and the new owner (who I think was one of the original partners, but I’m not 100% sure.) decided to scale back to just Italian.

The calamari is still fantastic, but the rest of it was just average. Tev did point out that the biggest problem is that they suffer from people knowing how great they were with the Mediterranean menu and plain Italian doesn’t really measure up.

Between the 4 of us, we had softshell crabs, sea scallops and veal marsala. The scallops were reported to be pretty good. The crabs were OK, but I’ve had better – something was off with the frying – maybe a bit overdone? The veal was OK, but it was also commented that maybe they just got a bad cut of meat, and there is only so much you can do with that. The side of the night was penne pasta with marinara, and honestly, it was mediocre at best. It’s just disappointing considering how good everything was in years past.

I can understand wanting to go with a “safe” menu in this economy, but you have to step it up and make sure it is GOOD. If you’re just average Italian, you’re not going to last around here, and in 2 years, there’s going to be yet another owner. Unless I hear that something has really changed between now and next year, I doubt a return trip is on tap.

#1 Ocean Blvd. Reservations accepted. (But probably not needed if things continue the way they are…)

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Barefoot Bernie’s, the Black Pelican, and Kelly’s

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
barefoot-bernies-the-black-pelican-and-kellys

I’ve gotten poked for not getting the food reports out, so here they come – expect a slew in the next day or so. Here we go!

Barefoot Bernie’s Tropical Bar

New for us this year. They have all the standard beach seafood fare with some Jamaican and Tex/Mex thrown in and the usual fruity beach drinks.

Got the Tex Mex chicken potato skins, which were really good. Though, they don’t come with sour cream… Some other sauce, which was very good, but it was all I could do to not ask for sour cream. My brain can’t really process potato skins without sour cream. For dinner I got plain old fried shrimp. Not exciting, not exotic, but just what I wanted and they just hit the spot.

Little bro got wings to start and the steamer platter (clams, shrimp & crab) and polished that off in short order.

Not fancy or outlandish, just good and worthy of a return visit.

MP 4.5 on the Bypass. No reservations needed.

The Black Pelican

This is the third time I’ve been here and it’s been kind of all over the place. The first time I got the Prime Rib and it was delicious. The second time we went with Tev & Lisa, and it was a comedy of errors in getting our orders right, but the food was good and we got a free round of drinks for the issues.

This year – not so great. Started with the crab rangoon which was very good. Then moved onto the Cajun Fish bites – cajun fried catch of the day, which was swordfish. Not bad, but not much that was cajun-y about it.

Then I got the shrimp and grits. Shrimp sauteed in onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes, over jalapeño cheese grits. I just hoped that the jalapeños wouldn’t overpower everything. Turns out that was the least of my worries. They neglected to mention to half a jar of chili powder that was dumped in while they were cooking the shrimp as well as the chili powder dusting on the rim of the plate. (Every time the air currents changed, you’d get lungful of chili powder…) Even with the grits, the shrimp were WAY too hot, and I do like spicy food. However, the grits all by themselves were stupendous.

Donald had the same problem with the ribs he ordered – all spice and no taste. There’s a line between being spicy and inedible, and they seem to have lost sight of where that line is. Probably off the list for next year.

MP 4 on the beach road. No reservations needed.

Kelly’s

Kelly’s is weird. The food is quite good but there is always some odd thing that is more memorable. First trip it was the weird cocktail waitress that I was quite sure was trying to kill us. The the odd little room the four of us had to ourselves last year. (I guess we looked like we were going to cause problems.) This year it was the hostess with pink hair and a sternum piercing. (Not gross, just extremely painful to contemplate.)

Also, there is a bit of a fading glory thing going on. In 2000 it was named the best place to meet babes by Playboy magazine. I don’t think it still holds that distinction. It also seemed that the average age of the clientele had jumped about 15 years in the past 12 months.

But, weird or not, the food is great. You start with a kickass bread basket with 3 or 4 types of bread and biscuits, so everyone will find something to fill up on even before dinner arrives.

I got the clams casino started, and they were very good. (Awful Arthur’s is still #1 for those in my book, though.) The rest of the table shared a plate of calamari, and happy “this is good” noises were being made all around. (I was too busy with my clams to pay attention to any actual words.)

I got the special – rockfish with crab over rice and veggies. VERY good. (I also just love rockfish.) In an unusual turn for me, I ate all the vegetables – green beans that had a ton of butter and a touch of cumin of all things. (Took me forever to figure out what it was, and then when I figured it out I yelled, “IT’S CUMIN!” like some culinary tourette’s patient.)

Tev got the softshell crabs and said they were quite good. At this point, neither myself or my brother can remember what else we ordered, but that we were all happily stuffed at the end of the night. (As I said, there is always something else that prevents us from remembering what we ordered…)

Definitely a repeat.

MP 10.5 on the bypass. Still working out the kinks of call ahead seating.

Posted in Americano, Beach Cuisine, Outer Banks, Restaurants, Bars & Such, Reviews, Tex-Mex | 1 Comment »

Diet, what diet?

Saturday, July 11th, 2009
diet-what-diet

Ah, the beach. Where my diligent monitoring of calories expended vs. consumed goes out the window. Not only is there food, wonderful food, but tons and tons of SEAFOOD. Sure, we’ve got the bay right next door back home, but it’s not quite the same.

Last night we hit what has become our traditional first night spot – Awful Arthur’s. Sure, I suppose it could be considered a tourist trap, but you could say that about every place down where between May and September. And the food is great, so, whatever. No matter what time we go, it’s always an hour wait. But that’s not so bad, because after they inform you of the wait time, the hostess says, “But you can go up to the bar and we’ll come get you when the table is ready.” Gosh, go upstairs and drink beer and have a great view of the ocean. Yes, that sucks.

So we went upstairs and knocked a few back and watched the waves and Nascar and TdF, and in a near Rainman move, my brother closed out the bar tab a mere 2 minutes before the hostess arrived to take us to our table.

I have had a craving for clams casino all week, so a half dozen of those was a given. Fresh clams, sweet peppers, butter and bacon. Tell me how that could possibly go wrong? Oh – it can’t. We were also right under one of the a/c vents so coup was a must as well. The crab and lobster bisque is awesome. It’s think and creamy and tomato-y and just spot on. And then there were hushpuppies. Don’t think you can really go wrong with fried cornmeal and butter, either.

Little bro got the soup and the crabmeat in butter. I’d say it’s a classic rookies mistake of getting two insanely rich items, but I’ve made the same error myself many times. The crab in butter was great, too. I supposed it’s a good think I have a 5 mile run this weekend.

Matt – I didn’t get the oyster shot, but there is still plenty of time.

Tonight it’s Meridian 42, which in the past has been fantastic. I’m a tad concerned it’s been basically Mediterranean influenced seafood and such, and now they’re billing themselves as “Italiano” – which could mean new owners and/or management, or someone just decided that Italiano sounded a little less intimidating somehow. I’m hoping for the latter, as the couple items on the sample menu looked to be in the same vein as years past, and I really hope they haven’t “dumbed down” the food. If nothing else, they make a killer dirty Goose martini.

If you’re seeing this twice, it’s also over at my personal journal, so no stealing has occurred. Pretty much all the beach/food posts will be in both places.

Posted in Americano, Bacon, Clams, Crab, Lobster, Outer Banks, Restaurants, Bars & Such | No Comments »

7-17 – The Left Bank

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

After last year’s great experience at The Left Bank, we had to go back again this year, and once again, we signed up for the 7 course chef’s tasting menu.  My brother didn’t even look at the regular menu – he wanted to be surprised.  For someone who loves Taco Bell and KFC, I am always impressed at his willingness to go the foodie route with me.

Everything was great – not a big surprise.  Here’s the rundown:

Amuse Bouche: Cold pureed summer squash, with a nice chunk of local cured bacon in it to give a bit of bacon-y goodness and chives on top.  Very refreshing and a nice start.  Despite the fact that it comes in a demitasse cup and you just knock it back, I still always instinctively go looking for a spoon…

NC Pamlico Sound Oysters finished in an aged sherry mignonette with champange caviar on top. I’ll admit I was a touch concerned with raw oysters.  Not because of any health/safety reasons, but because the ones I’ve had have been rather chewy and not so great.  Well, I had nothing to worry about – these were spectacular.  They said they were “finished” with the migonette, but I’d swear they’d been marinating a while or something.  They were sweet and tasty and when you chewed them – they broke into pieces in your mouth!!  Amazing!  There were 2 medium sized ones and 1 large one, all served on the half-shell.  They could have easily gone with just 3 mediums, as the large one was HUGE.

Baby seedless watermelon with arugula, feta, pinenuts, capers & honey balsamic vinegar. This was the only thing I didn’t think melded super well.  The watermelon was really wonderfully sweet on it’s own, so the vinegar made it almost too sweet and it didn’t go quite right with the arugula.  However, there is an easy solution to that!  Eat the watermelon first, then the arugula salad with the vinegar.  Problem solved. :)  This was when my brother said, “Apparently I don’t much like arugula.”  Understandable – it is an aquired taste and it’s hard to get used to the peppery finish on it when you’re used to greens that *don’t* have that.  I think the watermelon would have been great as part of a dessert plate, or with any number of cheeses.  Or just watermelon for that matter!

Jumbo lump crab galette (Crabcake!  Just call it a crabcake!!) with seared local shrimp over butterbean succotash with lobster mushrooms and ramp puree. Very good.  Lots of crab, not a lot of filler, the shrimp on top was perfectly cooked and I love butterbeans, so that was just a bonus.

Line caught rockfish, with abalone mushrooms, cipollinis, spinach and a garlic puree. Well, I love rockfish, cipollinis and garlic, so I was sold on this right away.  Really tasty.

The best of the night:  Braised pork belly, with a raspberry reduction, and a braising reduction of the braising liquid, baby squash and carmelized onions. The pork belly just fell apart on the plate, and with the sweet onions, it was just heaven in your mouth.  My brother and I both agreed this was the winner of the night.  So simple, yet so absolutely delicious.

Sugar Loaf Farms Hoop Cheddar and fruit butter, with toasted almonds, sourdough crackers and blueberries. OH YUM.  Bit of fruit butter, a blueberry or two, a piece of cheese and a couple bits of almonds on the fork, eat.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Scuppernog-Blackberry Granité. Served in a little egg cup, it was just the right amount, because it was pretty sweet.  I might have gone heavier on the blackberries than the scuppernog grapes, but nice and cold and refreshing.

Dark run carmelized white peach with a cinnamon sugar beignet, served in bittersweet chocolate soup and white chocolate chantilly cream drizzles. Again, OH YUM.  The peach and beignet were rich and filling on their own, and it’s the end of the meal – they could have easily gotten away with dark and white chocolate drizzles over it vs. the soup.  But it was a lovely finish.

The Left Bank Get reservations.

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7-15 Ocean Boulevard

Sunday, July 20th, 2008
7-15-ocean-boulevard

More “fancy” dining. :)  Apparently reservations are recommended, we lucked out because we wandered in relatively late in the evening and there were only two of us.

They’re very heavy on using local ingredients whenever they can and will tell you what is from local farms.  I like that a lot.  There are so many farms around here, there is no reason not to take advantage of them when you can.

I ended up going with the special – pan fried catfish with an heirloom grits cake, and andouille sausage with roasted peppers.  It was fantastic.  I was a little iffy on the grits-cake at first – it seemed like it could use a bit of salt/pepper/cheese, but that apparently was just the corner of it I started on, as the rest of it was perfectly seasoned and nice and creamy.  The catfish was great, too – cooked just right.  I love andouille sausage and it goes so well with the grits.  The catfish filet could have been half the size of what was presented and still would have been plenty to eat, as the grits are fairly filling.

IIRC, my brother got a steak and had there been a pattern on the plate, I’m not sure it still would have been there when he was finished.

Great place, will probably go there again next year.

Ocean Boulevard

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Meridian 42

Monday, July 14th, 2008
meridian-42

Tonight we ate at Meridian 42, which was great, just as it was last year – it’s become a new favorite.  I first stopped in there for cocktails with a friend in 2006 and while perusing the menu, decided that we MUST try it last year and that was a very good decision.

Their menu changes seasonally, so I was looking forward to seeing what was on tap this year.  It’s heavy on the seafood (shocker here at the beach) and has a mediterranean theme, but not so much that it would scare people off.  They usually have about a half dozen apps, 2-3 salads, a soup, and then 6-8 entrees and then one or two specials depending on what’s good and in season.

I was debating between the sea scallops and the “fresh catch” in wasabi sesame seeds, when the server came about with the specials…

Fire Grilled Grouper.
OK, that’s usually pretty good.
On a zuchinni blini (why can’t they just say pancake?)
Alright, I’m still listening
with grilled asparagus
Oooooooooh
And heirloom cherry tomatoes with crabmeat
No more calls we have a winner
In a caper/dill compound butter
Bonus.

It was SO GOOD.  The grouper was cooked just perfectly.  The blini was really tasty – quite similar to zuchinni madeleines that I’ve made in the past.  The asparagus was done just the way I like it – just cooked through so it’s hot, but still has a nice crisp to it.  The tomatoes and crabmeat were just, well, it’s tomatoes and crabmeat – it’s awesome.  And the butter complimented everything just beautifully.

I just wish I could have finished it all.  The grouper itself was a nice sized filet, which had that been all there was, I could have polished it all off.  But that, plus the blini, plus the tomatoes and crab, and the asparagus AND the butter adding even more richness to the mix, well, at least I polished off a good chunk of all of the treats on the plate.  They could easily go with smaller portions and still have a dish that is exceptionally satisfying.

My brother got the chicken roulade.  But it was rolled with basil and pancetta and cheese with a lobster cream sauce, over a polenta cake and sweet corn succotash.  He seemed to really enjoy it, but also had the same problem of it being exceptionally rich and the portions could have been smaller and no one would have missed anything.

It’s not a terribly cheap place to eat as entrees range from $20-35, but it is definitely worth it.  They also make an excellent Grey Goose dry, dirty vodka martini.

Meridian 42

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Greetings from the beach!

Sunday, July 13th, 2008
greetings-from-the-beach

We’re down at the Outer Banks for the next two weeks.  Which means seafood.  LOTS of seafood. :-D  I will be reporting accordingly.

Tonight after the drive down, we hit Awful Arthur’s Oyster Bar.  They’ve been around for years, but for whatever reason, last year was the first time I’d ever been there.

First, let me warn you – the mixed drinks are deadly.  I’ve watched the bartenders pour them and your liver had better be ready for it.  Me?  I stuck with Red Stripe.

AA’s is a basic steamer bar, and really good.  (Of course, you can’t be crappy and last around here.)  I had the crab & lobster bisque, which was awesome.  I had it last year as well and just couldn’t pass it up.  Knowing from experience how rich this stuff is, trying to figure out what to have with it was a little harder.  After much hemming and hawing, I settled on a half dozen clams casino.  I know this is a classic seafood app, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had it before.  Well, it was wonderful.  The clams were sweet and not at all chewy and well, anything with bacon on it is OK in my book.  Last year I had the crab bites – basically itty bitty crabcakes.  Those are great, too, but really rich.

My brother got the steamed shrimp & snow crab.  (OK, snow crab isn’t exactly local, but it’s yummy and it’s really not local anywhere on the east coast…)  His only issue was the shrimp may have stayed in the steamer a touch too long as they were a bit of a bear to peel.  But he perservered and managed to barely leave the pattern on the plate. :)

Definitely on tap this week, Meridian 42 and The Left Bank.

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The Left Bank

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

Last month when we were down at the beach, my brother & I dined at The Left Bank in Sanderling, and it was spectacular. I posted about it @ the sister site, and completely forgot to post here about it. I’ve also got a beach eating roundup post that I need to finish off and post as well here soon.

Dinner at The Left Bank – the only 4 star* restaurant on OBX. It was completely phenomenal. This is the same restaurant where cooking school weekend took place in April. You have the choice of the chef’s tasting menu, which is 7 courses and it’s all plotted out for you, or the 3 course menu where you have 4-5 options to choose from on each course. We both went with the tasting menu. Go big or go home. :) I’ll be completely honest – it wasn’t cheap, but this isn’t also the type of place you’re hitting every Friday night, and it was worth every penny. (And I actually dropped more on my own at dinner at Morimoto’s in Philly, so it was a deal.)

At the end of the evening, I asked if I could get a xerox copy of the tasting menu, as I definitely wanted a copy to take home for the Insane Chef. Apparently this is a very common request, as we were handed two copies, rolled up and tied with a ribbon.

Tasting menus are great, because if they’re done right, you end up with a ton of courses, but all are portioned just right and when you’re done with dinner, you’re happily full – no worries of getting halfway through and thinking, “I can’t eat anymore.” Everything was awesome, and as Donald said as we started, “I think I will lose count of how many things I’ve never eaten before.”

Cold Parsnip Soup – Came in a little demitasse cup and was so yummy. Tasted more like a corn/onion puree to me than anything, but incredibly good. I instictively went for my spoon, and the server assured us that, no, just go ahead and drink it from the cup. I still think they were trying to see if they could make us abandon our spoons…

Salmon Carpaccio – Salmon with salmon roe and a bit of herbed creme fraiche. Superb. I’ve never had raw salmon before, and I will definitely have it again given the chance.

Chilled Tomato Gazpacho – Had blue crab and an edible cucumber blossom in it to boot. Outstanding. The cucmber blossom was new for me – it had the flower and part of the stem – crunchy with just a little “cucumberness” to it. Really, you just can’t go wrong with chilled soups in the summer.

Black Cod over Crab Risotto – I’d never had black cod before, and this was fantastic. It still had the skin on and I’m not sure exactly what they did to it, but it was nice and crispy and had none of the oiliness that you might think of as far as fish-skin goes. The risotto was completely decadent.

Veal Tenderloin over Beluga Lentils – I love veal, end of story, so you can’t really go wrong there. SO good. The bordelaise sauce and the lentils and wilted arugula with it just went perfectly.

Cheese & Figs – Some sweet/candied figs and a somewhat bitter-ish cheese, which we quickly figured out that you’re supposed to eat together. Holy crap, the two of them together were absolutely wonderful. I know that fruit & cheese are supposed to go together, but I’ve never been able to figure out *which* fruits & cheeses go together. Nice to have someone else figure it out for me.

Berry Blossom & Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream – The ice cream is self explanatory and was great – and I really don’t much like strawberries *in* things – just give me a plate of fresh ones and I’m happy. The “berry blossom” was a layer of blueberries, a cheesecake type layer, a chocolate cookie shaped like a flower, more cheesecake-y goodness, another cookie and then a blueberry on top. Awesome.

Then the coffee/cordial menu came around. I got the espresso martini – Godiva dark, Bailey’s, Stoli Vanilla, a shot of espresso, and 3** coffee beans. Tasted just like a coffee milkshake.

All in all, the best meal I have had in a very long time – if you’re ever down there and have a few bucks to drop on a spectacular dinner, DO IT.

* – I can’t remember who does the ratings, but 4 is very rare.
** – We learned last night at Meridian that per Italian tradition w/Sambuca, an odd number of beans means you’re welcome to come back, an even number, not so much…

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